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Radar satellite maps created by NASA show land continues to sink rapidly in certain areas of the San Joaquin Valley, putting state and federal aqueducts and flood control structures at risk of damage. An August 2015 NASA report documented record rates of subsidence or sinking in the San Joaquin Valley, particularly near Chowchilla and Corcoran, as farmers pumped groundwater in the midst of the historic drought.

Faced with the threat of losing carryover and purchased water stored in San Luis Reservoir, Santa Barbara County agencies have signed onto a deal with the Metropolitan Water District to move some of that supply. If the Merced County reservoir spills, a scenario predicted to happen this winter, any carryover water in San Luis Reservoir will be wiped from the records and labeled part of the state aqueduct supply for 2017. Local agencies have millions of gallons stored in San Luis Reservoir, and have been scrambling to find a way to save as much of that water as possible.

At a recent workshop to discuss whether the state’s emergency drought regulations should be extended beyond February, two government agencies scheduled to report on drought conditions were noticeably absent because they were busy responding to flooding issues. Apart from this ironic twist, one cannot brush aside this winter’s record rainfall, snowpack and reservoir conditions. A week after this workshop, Gov. Jerry Brown declared a state of emergency for 50 counties from flooding, erosion and mud flows. So one wonders why an editorial in The Sacramento Bee encouraged the Brown administration to keep its emergency drought regulations in place through April.

California’s recovery from drought has been so remarkably quick that reservoirs on the verge of record lows just a year ago are now too full to handle more rain, prompting dam operators across the state to unleash surpluses of water not seen in years. The northern Sierra’s Feather River swelled with so much mountain runoff Tuesday that state officials considered shutting the road beneath Lake Oroville, California’s second largest reservoir, to allow dangerously swift waters to pour out the foot of the dam.

The Bureau of Reclamation incrementally increased releases below Keswick Dam from 26,000 cubic feet per second to 36,000 Monday afternoon. The increased releases are necessary to meet flood space regulatory requirements within Shasta Reservoir. Depending on current conditions and inflow levels, operational adjustments will be made as necessary and may occur on short notice. Shasta Reservoir, 10 miles north of Redding, provides water for people, fish and wildlife, hydropower, and environmental and salinity-control requirements in the Bay-Delta.